Monday, November 17, 2008

I went to hear my nephew Brenden's band, No 1 Left Standing - in the final elimination round for the KBPI Best Band In Denver contest.They were absolutely awesome! Without a doubt, they rocked the hardest, were the most unique, and had the most distinctive personality.

I had the most awesome time standing by the side of the stage and watching my nephew playing live. He is living the dream, loving every minute of it, and taking it even farther than I ever did.They made it to the top 3, and now it's down to the voting.

Winning this competition is my nephew's BIG BREAK. This means that they open up every KBPI show for an entire year, including Mudvayne, Hoobastank, and many others. Last year's winner got signed with a record company. This could be it for him!!!

I am so proud of Brenden, He has taken what I taught him, and kicked it up several dozen notches. He works his keyster off for this band - they played over 100 gigs last year. They work hard, and he loves playing music.

He has done over a thousand professional portraits and over 12,000 professional caricatures, for collectors from every continent on earth.

Mike has an Associates degree in Commercial Art. He received formal training in figure and portraiture in the Aristides Classical Atelier, at the Gage Academy of Fine Art in Seattle.

His art has received numerous honors, including a purchase award nomination in 2004 from the Art Renewal Center in New York, and has appeared in articles in The Artist’s Magazine, and the book Classical Drawing Atelier by Juliette Aristides.
Mike teaches classes and workshops in the Denver area.

Mike plays guitar and sings with various musical acts in Denver and across the country.